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.22 Rifle for Christmas
"You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to Homicide detail. A small boy is reported missing from his home; his age: nine years. Foul play is suspected. Your job: find him." '' ~Opening from 1949 radio episode '.22 Rifle for Christmas '(aka '''The Big 22 Rifle for Christmas) '''was the first Christmas-themed episode of the ''Dragnet ''radio series; the episode first aired December 22, 1949 and re-aired each of the first four seasons of the radio show. The episode was re-adapted and made its television debut during the second season of the ''Dragnet ''TV series December 19, 1952. The episode is a straightforward account of a young boy who accidentally dies three days before Christmas. While the story itself is heart-breaking, it also features a poignant, albeit bittersweet ending. Episode Plot ''(NOTE: This summary is based on the first airing of the original radio episode. In subsequent re-airings and re-adaptations some names and situations have been altered.) Working the evening shift in Homicide division, Friday and Romero are called to investigate the disappearance of a nine year-old boy named Stanley Johnstone who has been missing for two hours. Foul play is suspected because numerous blood stains were found where Stanley was last seen; his mother had gone Christmas shopping and had left Stanley at home alone, but when she returned he was nowhere to be found and called the police. Friday, Romero and crime lab Lt. Lee Jones go to where Stanley was last seen. Jones finds the stains are indeed blood, but he needs to do more tests back at the lab to see whether or not the blood is human or animal. They also find a spent .22 caliber cartridge shell lying nearby. After calling Chief Thad Brown and setting up a special detail to search for Stanley, Friday and Romero talk to Ruth Johnstone, Stanley's mother. She mentions that though he has done it before, Stanley is not in the habit of running off. She also mentions that her husband George works for the Fire department and is on duty every other day; Ruth calls George but Stanley is not with him. The detectives then ask Ruth if they have any guns in the house, and she eventually mentions that they bought Stanley a gun for a Christmas present and had kept it hidden. When she gets the package out of the closet, she finds that it has been opened and the gun is missing. Friday examines the package; the gun is a .22 caliber rifle. With the search for Stanley intensifying, some officers find the recently-fired rifle in a thicket behind the Johnstone house. They then discover that another boy is missing, an eight year-old named Steven Morheim. Friday and Romero go to talk to Steven's mother who is already distraught over Steven's unusual lack of promptness. They soon find out that Stanley and Steven both have blood type O, and Jones at the crime lab confirms that the blood stains are also type O. Darkness falls, and there is still no sign of either boy, so Chief Brown sends out more men to help in the search. Friday and Romero are again talking with Mrs. Morheim; she tells them that Steven's father is on his way home when Friday is informed that Stanley has been found; he returned to his home. They there and find Stanley sullen and quiet. With some coercion, Stanley finally opens up and tells Friday that Steven is dead; they were playing with the rifle when it went off, and Stanley had hidden Steven's body in a cave upon a nearby hill. Friday, Romero, Stanley and his father go up to the cave and find Steven's body inside with a single gunshot wound below his heart. Stanley explains that they were playing with the gun in Stanley's back yard; Steven was running with the gun in his hands when he tripped over a stump and fell, causing the gun to go off firing one shot hitting Steven in the chest. In a panic, Stanley got his wagon and brought Steven up to the cave to hide him. Stanley blames himself for Steven's death saying that Steven would still be alive if he hadn't gotten his gun from the closet. He then admits that he had been in the cave with Steven for hours praying to God to bring Steven back. The circumstances, the evidence and Stanley's explanation all convince Friday, Romero and the other detectives that Steven's death was an accident. The coroner permits Steven's body to be taken to the Morheim house, and their family doctor is called out when Mrs. Morheim collapses in grief. John Morheim, Steven's father, returns home, and Friday and Romero inform him of what happened. Against their better judgment, Morheim goes in to see his dead son and soon collapses in sobs. When Friday explains what happened, Morheim demands to see Stanley and briskly walks over to the Johnstone house with Friday and Romero going along. Once there, Morheim quietly tells Stanley that he knows Steven's death was not his fault, and then asks Stanley if he would accept the Christmas presents he bought for Steven. Stanley looks to his mother for permission, who says it is a fine idea. Their work essentially done, Friday and Romero slowly walk back outside: *'Romero:' Well, what does it all prove, Joe? *'Friday:' You don't give a kid a gun for Christmas. Epilogue A coroner's inquest concludes that Steve Morheim's death was indeed accidental, and that Stanley Johnstone was not legally responsible for Steve's death.